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At the time these tracks were recorded in 1964, the French market was still mostly about singles and four-song EP's. Albums were a rarity and double albums were virtually unheard of. So, it was a very brave move for Petula to record a double album of new material, and is a reflection of her enormous popularity in France at the time - this was before Downtown caused Petula to switch her attention to America.
Unlike Petula's other French albums, which drew on a variety of sources, including songs she wrote or co-wrote in French as well as translations of British and American songs, the Hello Paris double album was, as far as I can tell, exclusively French. This point is emphasised by the album title, the beautiful cover picture of Petula in Paris (it's intersting to note that the best Petula album covers are nearly all French), and several pictures inside showing Petula in various Paris settings.
The songs themselvers were written by some of France's finest songwriters. There's no evidence here of the rock'n'roll with which Petula established herself in France - these are mostly romantic ballads. Three were written or co-written by Charles Trenet, including La mer, which was translated into English as Beyond the sea, in which form it was a massive hit for Bobby Darin.
Le jour ou la pluie viendra (the only Gilbert Becaud song here) was translated as The day the rains came and gave Jane Morgan a British #1 (she never had another British hit) and a top forty American hit.
Two other songs which became famous after translation are Les feuilles mortes (Autumn leaves), which remains popular, and Cerisier rose et pommier blanc (Cherry pink and apple blossom white), which is rarely heard these days. There's also a lovely cover of Edith Piaf's La vie en rose.
Despite these covers, this collection contains less material that will be familiar to British and American ears than any of the other French releases. However, true Petula fans will still enjoy this.
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